September 13, 2017, Princeton, NJ – Under the new California Dyslexia Guidelines, potentially hundreds of thousands of students with dyslexia will have the opportunity to reach their academic potential through reading accommodations using human-read audiobooks by Learning Ally, a nonprofit education technology organization.

Learning Ally’s human-read audiobooks eliminate the barriers to learning with access to grade level curriculum. The comprehensive library offers over 80,000 titles, including novels, K-12 curriculum textbooks, and popular series to engage students of all ages and interests. Coupled with a suite of teacher resources, educators and administrators can easily manage assignments and monitor reading activity to report student academic progress.

The statewide California Dyslexia Guidelines are written to provide clear and useful direction for general and special education teachers and parents on the need for, and uses of, accessible educational materials to identify, assess, and support more students with the learning disability.

Andrew Friedman, CEO of Learning Ally, says, “We are excited to collaborate with California teachers and administrators and look forward to bringing our expertise to their efforts. Learning Ally has been a national leader and partner on similar initiatives with other State Departments of Education and with the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials run by CAST. Together, we can help to level the playing field so that more students with dyslexia can be empowered learners to succeed in school and in life.”

Ready, Set, Go -- Putting the CA Dyslexia Guidelines into Action

To share proven strategies as California educators plan and implement the Guidelines, Learning Ally will host a webinar on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 2:00 (PT) by Dr. Kathy Futterman. Dr. Futterman is a reading expert and consultant who advises California schools, districts, and SELPAs in the development and implementation of instructional programs for students with dyslexia and related disabilities.

The webinar will focus on three key areas:

Guidance in building an effective dyslexia action plan.

Showcase of effective models underway in California districts today.

Proven resources to identify, remediate, and accommodate students with dyslexia.

“The inability to comprehend print places students with dyslexia at a major disadvantage,” says Dr. Futterman. “These students are often very bright. Hearing text read aloud and seeing highlighted words can engage more students to become active listeners. Reading stamina and comprehension improve on a deeper level. This webinar will give California educators the strategies and tools they need to implement the new Guidelines with fidelity.”

California educators can register for the webinar on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 2:00 pm (PT) or call 1-800-221-1098 for information and a demonstration.

About Dr. Kathy Futterman

Dr. Kathy Futterman is a sought-after consultant in the field of special education, working with California schools, districts, and SELPAs in the development and implementation of instructional programs for students with dyslexia and related disabilities. She participated in the efforts that led to the successful passage of California's newest dyslexia legislation, AB 1369, including providing expert testimony to the CA Senate Appropriations Committee. She is an Adjunct Faculty member at CSU-East Bay, an Educational Specialist at Mt. Diablo USD and a Dyslexia Consultant with Decoding Dyslexia California. She was also a workgroup member for California’s Department of Education Dyslexia Guidelines.

About Learning Ally

Learning Ally is a leading nonprofit ed-tech organization delivering a comprehensive learning solution for struggling readers in elementary, middle and high schools. Our proven solution includes the most extensive library of human-read audiobooks that students want and need to read both at home and at school, along with a suite of teacher-focused resources that ensure student success. This reading experience helps accelerate learning, enables a new level of access to knowledge and powerfully increases confidence and self-belief.

Learning Ally successfully partners with more than 10,000 schools, districts and leading state education systems to empower 240,000 students with improved comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and critical thinking skills. For over 70 years, we have helped transform the lives of struggling readers by bridging the gap between their reading capability and their academic potential as they confidently become lifelong learners who thrive in school and beyond.